Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Free Report) in a research note released on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a hold rating and a $240.00 price target on the technology company's stock.

WTS has been the subject of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Watts Water Technologies from $202.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Northcoast Research raised Watts Water Technologies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Watts Water Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $220.50.

Watts Water Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WTS traded down $3.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $214.72. 338,224 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 145,718. Watts Water Technologies has a 1 year low of $175.37 and a 1 year high of $222.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $208.71 and a 200 day moving average of $198.31.

Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $543.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $541.83 million. Watts Water Technologies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 12.37%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Watts Water Technologies will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Watts Water Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Watts Water Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Watts Water Technologies

In related news, General Counsel Kenneth Robert Lepage sold 3,429 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.65, for a total value of $667,454.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 14,064 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,737,557.60. This represents a 19.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Monica Barry sold 1,559 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $331,318.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $941,463.60. The trade was a 26.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,974 shares of company stock worth $6,924,594 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Watts Water Technologies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Watts Water Technologies by 520.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 273 shares of the technology company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 30.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 338 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in Watts Water Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $68,000. 95.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Watts Water Technologies Company Profile

Watts Water Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, supplies products and solutions that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through, and out of buildings in the commercial, industrial, and residential markets in the Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.